The verbal confrontation between Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan's top scorer, caught the limelight from the "rage derby" between the two teams, in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup, which ended with a 2-1 victory for Inter.

The two stars, who joined Manchester United years ago, entered into a verbal confrontation and an exchange of insults before the end of the first half, and things would almost have developed into a conflict between the players had it not been for the intervention of their teammates from the two teams, and Lukaku (27 years) tried to catch Ibrahimovic (39 years) to the dressing rooms To complete the sparring.

This is what the verdict saw, but what the cameras did not reveal was the sub-standard dialogue between the two men, as Ibrahimovic was heard describing Lukaku as a "donkey", calling him a description that was considered racist, and insulting his mother.

As for Lukaku, his response was harsh, insulting Ibrahimovic's mother and wife, and rushing towards him, but his colleagues succeeded in stopping him.

This fight between Zlatan and Lukaku went too far I think 💀 pic.twitter.com/Gjgbv1JEkf

- RiZzy🔮 (@RiZzyUTD) January 26, 2021

Ibrahimovic had given the lead to Milan before tension dominated the atmosphere in San Siro.

The referee famously won a yellow card for the players, before Ibrahimovic received another card due to a mistake against Alexander Kolarov to be dismissed in the second half, the first time he received a red card in Europe since his dismissal with Paris Saint-Germain against Chelsea in March 2015.

This incident changed the course of the match, as Lukaku himself scored the equalizing goal from the penalty spot in the 71st minute, before Dane Christine Eriksen gave his team the victory in the last minute of stoppage time from the match with a direct free kick.

The second goal of Inter Milan, Ericsson, # Derby_ Milan pic.twitter.com/RDmgDPZfcY

- Eng.Anas (@Anasghh) January 26, 2021

Regarding the expulsion, Milan coach Stefano Pioli said Ibrahimovic had apologized for his dismissal during the 2-1 loss to Inter Milan.

"He apologized like a great champion. He was overly impressed by his desire to help the team. It was not easy to survive the lack of numbers. The pressure was strong from Inter," said Bioli.

"We paid the price in the last half hour, and we couldn't get a positive result. It wasn't supposed to happen but that is how it went. We feel very sorry that we were so well prepared for the match," Bioli said.

Inter will wait for the winner of today's match between Juventus and SPAL.

Zlatan and Lukaku are going at it 😳 pic.twitter.com/yMLFI72tiz

- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 26, 2021

This "battle" surprised the United fans, because the two stars had a good relationship at "Old Trafford".

In one of the interviews in 2017, Ibrahimovi praised Lukaku’s scoring ability and his breakneck speed, describing their partnership in the “Red Devils” as “very strong”.

It is reported that last week, Ibrahimovic entered into a verbal confrontation with Dovan Zapata, the Atlanta striker, who tried to provoke the "Sultan" during the Milan and Atlanta match in the Italian League.

"You can't complete a match without getting a penalty kick? Are you looking for your 13th goal?" Zapata told Zlatan.

Ibrahimovic's answer was quick and shocking: "You scored more goals than you have played in your career."

Zlatan was right, having scored 498 goals for the clubs he played for, while Zapata played 373 games in his career.